George h



(No Model.) W a i -G-. H. OONDE. M METALLIC HAT STRBTGHBR.

Patented Mar, 25, 1890.

Secfiom 1-4 Sacha 2-2 ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. CONDE, OF ALBANY, NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAMMCGEOCH, OF SAME PLACE.

M ETALLIC HAT-STRETCH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,094, dated March25, 1890.

Application filed December 28, 1889. Serial No. 334,346. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. CONDE, a citizen of the United States,residing at the cityand county of Albany, State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Metallic Hat- Stretcher, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for stretching hats; andthe object of my invention is to provide a hat-stretcher to which heatmay be applied for the purpose of increasing the size of the hat,causing it to retain its enlarged form without breaking or wrinkling thefabric'of which the hat is composed. I attain these objects by themechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 isan elevation; Fig. 2, a plan; Fig. 3, a section along the lines 1 l onFig.2; Fig. 4, a section along the lines 2 2 on Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 showsthe stretcher placed in a receptacle to which heat is applied.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

For the purpose of increasing the size of a hat it has been customary toplace a wooden block into the hat and operate a screw provided with aright and left hand thread meshing with threads on screws attached toopposite sections of said block, and in this manner causing the sectionsof the block to be forced apart, the elasticity of the material of whichthe hat is composed allowing the hat to be thus enlarged. The objectionto this mode of stretching the hat is that after the block has beenremoved the hat will retain the form given to it but a short time, andwill then resume the position which it occupied prior to the stretchingprocess. Another objection to the use of the block referred to is thatby attempting to stretch it beyond a certain limited degree the hat isbroken. The hat also becomes wrinkled or uneven after the removal of theblock, caused by-the elastic material attempting to resume its normalposition. All of these difficulties are surmounted in the process ofstretching a hat by the use of my invention.

In the manufacture of stiff hats there is a large amount of shellacused. By applying heat to the hat in connection with pressure theshellac becomes softened, allowing the material to be forced to theposition desired,

and after the removal of the pressure and heat the shellac Will hardenagain and hold the material in the position which it attains by the useof the stretcher.

A represents a narrow thin metallic frame, oval in form, composed of anysuitable metal, and divided transversely into two sections, each ofwhich sections is provided near a point midway between the ends of thesectlon with the screw S, the one provided with arighthand and the otherwith a left-hand thread. The handle II is provided with a female threadat each end, one meshing with the right-hand and the other with theleft-hand thread of the screws S S. The handle I-I1s provided with aseries of slot-s O, extendlng through from one side to the other slde ofthe handle.

For the purpose of applying heat to my hatstretcher, I place the same inthe receptacle R, usually constructed of tin and provided with the'coverT, which I place over an alcohol-lamp, as shown in Fig. 5, or in contactwith any other source of heat that may be desired. When the stretcherhas been subjected to a sufficient amount of heat, I place the same inthe hat, operate the handle H until the hat has been increased in sizeto the extent desired, and then remove the same, and the hat will retainthe position given t by the use of the stretcher without being 111 anyway injured, either by breaking or unevenness of surface. In this mannera hat can be enlarged twice as much as could be done by the woodenstretcher now in use, and it will retain its enlarged form after the removal of the stretcher, which it would not do if the wooden stretcherwere employed.

I do not limit myself to the use of the receptacle R, in which to placemy stretcher, the sole object being to apply heat to the stretcher,which may be'done in many different ways.

The object of providing the handle With slots or openings is that itwill not become so hot when placed in the heating-receptacle that itcannot be comfortably used.

My invention is simple in its construction and operation, inexpensive,and performs the work required of it in an extremely satisfactory andpositive manner.

I am aware that Letters Patent of the United States N 0. 157,845, datedDecember 15, 1874, for combined hat nieasurers and stretehers show awooden block divided into two sections operated by a screw and hasmetallic strips situated 011 each side of the upper edge of thesegments, and I therefore do not claim that construction.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

In ahat-stretcl1cr,the combination of a metallic frame composed of twosections, each provided 011 its concave side, about midway 15 betweenits ends, with a lug rigidly attached thereto, said lugs provided theone with a right-hand and the other with a left-hand screw-thread, witha handle II, provided at each end with a female screw-thread mesh- 20ing, respectively, with the threads on said lugs, all substantially asdescribed.

GEO. II. CONDIC. Vitnesses:

WM. MeGnooH, FREDERICK W. CAMERON.

